Effect of extracts of the aerial parts and roots from four Ferulago species on erectile dysfunction in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes

Abstract

Objectives: The extracts of Ferulago species are used as aphrodisiacs in Turkey and so we aimed to demonstrate in vivo and in vitro the relaxant effect of four Ferulago species’ extracts on the corpus cavernosum (CC). Materials and Methods: A total of 30 adult male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into control and diabetic groups. Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of 40 mg/kg streptozotocin. In vivo erectile responses were obtained by stimulation of the cavernosal nerves and repeated after intracavernosal injection of extracts in rats, and the data were expressed as intracavernosal pressure (ICP)/mean arterial pressure and total ICP. The relaxant and contractile responses of CC strips were analyzed in the presence or absence of extracts. Results: The extracts were active in both control and diabetic rats. The extract-induced maximum relaxation responses (especially of methanol extract of the root of Ferulago bracteata) (98.30±2.6%) were decreased after incubation with L-NAME (44.8±1.8). ODQ, a soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor, inhibited 77% of extract-induced maximum relaxation in the CC from the control rats. Conclusion: These species can be utilized in erectile dysfunction and may be an herbal alternative to synthetic drugs.